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See the full story · 1 sourcesOur countdown to kickoff series has been looking at notable USC players to wear each number from zero through 99. But where do those players rank among all-time college football greats?
In a recent story , ESPN’s college football writers selected the sport’s greatest player to ever wear each number. For number 13, they had USC Heisman Trophy quarterback Caleb Williams.
“Williams was a top recruit coming out of high school, but he seemed likely to wait his turn behind Spencer Rattler at Oklahoma until coming on in relief against rival Texas and turning in a brilliant performance that made him an overnight sensation,” ESPN wrote. “He finished that season with 21 touchdown passes and just four picks, then followed coach Lincoln Riley to USC and won the Heisman. His 2022 season was an all-time great campaign, in which Williams racked up 4,537 passing yards, 382 rushing yards and an FBS-high 42 passing touchdowns. He returned in 2023 for a struggling USC team but still posted the best QB rating of his career while accounting for 41 touchdowns before being drafted first by the Chicago Bears .”
Williams started his college career at Oklahoma, before transferring to USC alongside head coach Lincoln Riley following the 2021 season. In his first year with the Trojans , Williams took the college football world by storm, recording 4,537 passing yards and 42 touchdowns, to go along with ten more scores on the ground. That fall, Williams became USC’s eighth Heisman Trophy winner while leading the Trojans to 11 victories—after they won just four games the year prior.
The following season, Williams’s numbers regressed slightly, but were still impressive. However, USC struggled on the field in 2023, finishing the regular season just 7-5. Williams’s final game in Cardinal and Gold was a 38-20 home blowout loss to rival UCLA , as he elected to sit out of the team’s Holiday Bowl victory over Louisville.
Williams declared for the 2024 NFL Draft, where the Chicago Bears selected him with the No. 1 overall pick. Now entering his third season in the league, Williams has established himself as one of the top young quarterbacks in the NFL.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: ESPN has Caleb Williams as greatest college football player to wear 13
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